Pieces of a Puzzle: Duelist Kingdom
by DarkxSonata
Summary: Maria has spent a year getting to know the gang and getting closer to them as friends. As a few pieces fall into place more are thrown into the mix when the Duelist Kingdom Tournament is thrust upon them. Will Maria ever find out the mystery with the Millennium Puzzle and Other Yugi? YamixOC Second Part of the Pieces of a Puzzle Series
1. Game 1

If you had asked me two years ago that within the year I would meet some of the greatest friends in my life, I would have just looked at you with the most hateful look on my face. I would have never believed that I would be able to be happy ever again. After the accident that took away my parents and my younger brother from me, the accident that took away my voice, the accident that had been my fault; I honestly didn't think that I would be able to move on with my life. I thought that I would just be stuck in this bottomless pit of sadness and regret.

When Sophia came into my life halfway through that year it became a small little blip of light. She taught me sign language and how to communicate again. She moved into my house with me and let me feel independence again after spending so much time in a hospital room being watched night and day. She helped me take the first steps.

Japan had not been my idea. Sophia had brought it up when one day she had come back from a meeting and told me that the clinic had found a renowned surgeon who would be able to fix my throat; well a 38% chance of fixing it anyway. It had been the best option so far, that or just stay in Ireland. It had been a very difficult decision for me. I would be leaving everything behind, everything I had left of them. The memories, the house, the town; everything would remain here while I went away to some tiny island with a small chance that I would be able to speak again. I didn't want to go; Sophia made the choice for me.

I was furious coming over to Japan. I refused to sell the house, much to Sophia's protest, but eventually she relented since I agreed to go to Japan. That didn't mean that I was going to go through with the surgery. There was only a 38% chance of recovery, one wrong move and I would die. The surgery was risky, it was either you come out alive and can speak again, or you die. I was fine with sign language, sure it was rough and few people understood what I was trying to say but I was still breathing. Sophia said that she wouldn't be able to live with me in Japan; I would be on my own. I got an apartment and was to attend Domino High for my education.

Domino High ended up being just what I needed. My first day of school I met my best friends, though I didn't know it at the time. Anzu and Miho had been assigned to translate for me because they were both able to read sign language. They introduced me to their friends and I soon became one of them, thanks to Yugi.

Yugi had reached out and wanted to show that we could be friends, the language barrier wasn't an issue. However, becoming friends with Yugi lead to a lot of dangerous situations because of the Millennium Puzzle and the Other Yugi inside of it. It was still a huge mystery to me, but I knew the two were connected. For a while Other Yugi was there to save me from whatever danger seemed to happen that day, but over the past year and the more the danger became worse, we became closer. If you can call it that; there is attraction and I feel like I can trust him, but I don't know anything about him. There's still a lot of missing pieces, and I'm afraid that this is something that only time can fill in. Fighting off thugs, Kaiba's elite group, Kaiba himself with the Death-T, and the Other Bakura trapping us in dolls, these last few months of short lived bliss were needed.

It was October when that bliss burned around us and our first real step into the secrets of the puzzle began.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Wait, Miho you're moving?" Anzu asked looking at her best friend as we all sat around our desks on break. She had just sprung the news on us a few minutes ago. She was moving this weekend.

"Mama says that her job is making her go to America. Miho doesn't want to leave all of you, but Miho can't leave Mama either." Miho said sadly looking at us for support. I could see the pain in her eyes and I knew how that felt. The fear of going to an unknown place, not knowing anyone, and only one person to get you started.

"Miho. It will be fine, you'll move to America and you'll meet wonderful new people and will make great friends. It happened to me with all of you, so I don't doubt that it will happen for you." I signed to her slowly smiling to her the whole time. Her eyes began to tear as she flung herself at me wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Thank you Maria! Miho won't forget any of you, promise!" Miho said sitting back. We all shared a group hug before the bell rang. Class seemed to fly by with the news that Miho was moving. What would we do without her? She was bubbly and so carefree, she calmed me down most of the time when I was stressed or upset about something. What would Anzu do? Miho was Anzu's best friend since grade school apparently. Those two have been through a lot together. I shook my head not wanting to think about it. She would be fine and Anzu and I would figure it out; Honda must be devastated though. I frowned looking over to him seeing him just staring at his desk. I knew he wasn't paying attention to class but he wasn't exactly having the reaction I thought he would. I pictured him having obnoxious tears in his eyes declaring his undying love for her and all that, however, Honda has matured over the last year. My attention was brought back to class though when Yugi poked me motioning his gaze towards the front. If I kept spacing out like that I would be yelled at by sensei.

The week went by too quickly. We all spent every moment outside of class together that we could, going to all of Miho's favorite places and doing her favorite things. We all agreed to go to the airport to see her off wanting to say our final goodbyes. We met up at the terminal at about 2:00 p.m. waiting for everyone to get there. Anzu and Miho were chatting, the two beginning to get tears in their eyes. We were waiting on Honda. I hoped that he didn't decide not to come.

"Where is he!" Jounouchi shouted suddenly making me jump. I placed a hand on his arm and he calmed down.

"He'll make it." I signed seeing Jounouchi nod. He was slowly starting to pick up on sign language and he had asked me to teach him like I did with Yugi. Honda said that he'd like to learn too, but I figured one at a time would be better.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Honda huffed after running over to us. He placed his hands on his knees catching his breath. He stood up and smiled to everyone and it broke my heart. He looked so devastated. Jounouchi started off the goodbyes when Miho's mother said that they were supposed to board soon.

"You're gonna do great in America Miho, and remember, we'll always be friends no matter what." Jounouchi said giving her a quick hug moving back to let someone else say a goodbye. Yugi stepped up next.

"Miho-chan, we're going to miss you but we're here if you ever need us ok?" He said giving her a hug then stood by Jounouchi. I looked to Anzu and Honda and nodded stepping up to Miho; they should be the last two.

"Miho, we haven't been friends very long but you're a very special person to me. I know you're scared and you don't want to leave all the memories behind, but you'll always have those with you, and you'll make new ones." I hugged her tightly after I had finished signing to her. "I want you to have this." I smiled to her after pulling away and held up a small keychain that I made. It had a small Poki on it that I had made from sculpting clay. She smiled and started to cry a bit and hugged me again.

"Miho loves it! She'll treasure it always!" She sobbed finally starting to break down. I rubbed her back trying to sooth her and it worked. She sniffed and a few tears fell but the sobbing had stopped. I moved away walking back over to Jounouchi and Yugi watching Anzu move forward. They hugged for a really long time and Anzu whispered something to Miho that had her sobbing again and clinging to her.

"You'll always be my best friend Miho." Anzu said through her own sobs. Miho's mother came over and said that they had to leave. Anzu pulled away and Honda moved up quickly to Miho and hugged her. He pulled away and just looked at her.

"Honda-kun?" She said as he brushed a few bangs out of her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before he looked down at her again with a small smile.

"Some lucky bastard in America is going to take care of you, and you're going to make him the happiest man alive. I'll miss you Miho." He said then pulled away.

"Honda-kun . . .. thank you." She said as she hugged him before heading to the gate. She waved one last time to us then went in with her mother. The others went to the window to watch the plane while I stood there with Honda for a minute.

"I love you Miho." I heard him whisper. I felt tears come to my eyes as I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and I knew he wanted to cry but he didn't. We walked over to the window with the others and watched the plane take off; it was only when the plane was out of sight that Honda finally let the tears fall.

After everyone went home and the initial hurt of Miho being gone started to ease away our lives seemed to return to a pattern. We would all take turns playing Duel Monsters during breaks, since the game had grown even more in popularity, and then hang out after school for a bit.

"Bwa ha ha ha! Take this, Anzu! I attack with Rock Ogre Grotto!" Jounouchi shouted putting down his card. Yugi and I sat on one side of the desk while Honda sat on the other. A group of people had actually stayed in to watch today and were cheering their favorites on.

"Go for it Anzu!" Someone from the crowd yelled.

"Then on my turn I use the spell card wind of the gods. The holy dust erodes your golem! He turns to dust! I win!" Anzu said playing her card with a smirk on her face as she won the duel.

"Argh! I lost again!" Jounouchi yelled throwing up his cards in defeat. My shoulders moved in a chuckle seeing the display. He had just lost to me the previous match after all.

"You're so lame Jounouchi." Anzu said in teasing.

"Yugi! Why?! Why?! Why can't I win?! What am I doing wrong?!" He shouted grabbing poor Yugi and shaking him like a ragdoll.

"Show me your deck, Jounouchi." Yugi said once he was let go.

"Okay." Jounouchi said handing it over. Yugi looked at his deck while I leaned over his shoulder getting a look myself.

"Ack! Your whole deck's made of monsters? All 40 cards?" Yugi said stunned. I blinked then just looked at Jounouchi. No wonder he kept losing.

"That's right! Stuffed my deck with the strongest monsters I could find!" Jounouchi said proudly.

"Uh, that's no good." Yugi started to explain. "The biggest strategy of this game is combining monster and spell cards. Your opponent can easily dodge your attacks if you only fight with monsters."

"Awright Yugi! Please! You gotta train me to play better!" Jounouchi pleaded with him.

"Okay! Come to my place after school, Maria-chan is coming over too. The finals of the Duel Monsters Tournament is on TV at 5:00 tonight! Let's watch it together!" Yugi said happily while I smiled. He's come such a long way in the year that I've known him. After school we all met up and decided to walk to Yugi's together. As we got closer I saw that Yugi's grandpa was outside.

"I'm home Grandpa!" Yugi said as we walked up to the door.

"Ah, Yugi, welcome home! You're all here! Come on in." He said while finishing sweeping.

"You closed already?" Jounouchi asked.

"Of course. The Duel Monsters Finals are on tonight! I can't be stuck watching the shop!" He said happily as we all walked inside. "By the way Yugi, a package came for you." The elder Motou said lifting up a package from behind the shop counter.

"A package?" Yugi mumbled taking it from his grandpa. "There's no name on the return address." Yugi shrugged taking it up with him as we all headed up the stairs to the house.

"Yugi, welcome home. Hello Maria, Anzu, oh and Jounouchi isn't it?" Mrs. Motou said as she saw us come up the stairs from her spot in the kitchen. I smiled and waved to her seeing the others walking into the living room beginning conversations. I walked into the kitchen smiling to her.

"Would you like some help?" I signed knowing that she was going to cook for all of us because that's just how she was. The Motou's have picked up on sign language from how often I've been over at the house, and with Yugi's sign language books lying around they must have studied on their own.

"Only for a bit dear if you want, you're the guest." She said back. She was able to read it but she had a hard time returning the gestures. I grabbed one of her spare aprons and tied it on helping her clean vegetables and doing prep work for her so she could simply cook. Once the prep work was finished she smiled to me and nodded towards the living room. "I've kept you away long enough. Go have fun, dinner will be ready soon and then that big program will be on that you're all so excited to watch." Walking back into the living room I sat down with them seeing Yugi shake his head at me with a smile.

"You didn't have to do that." Yugi signed quickly continuing to listen to his Grandpa while Anzu and Jounouchi had a conversation.

"I wanted to, you're mom has done a lot for me." I signed. It was true; Mrs. Motou has sort of begun to dull the pain of that missing hole for me. Whenever I'm around her it makes me remember my mom and what we use to do together. It was comforting for me. Anzu grabbed Yugi's attention after his Grandpa fell asleep for a quick nap and Jounouchi and I started up more sign language lessons. Soon after Mrs. Motou came in with dinner placing it on the floor saying that she was going out to her book club and wouldn't be back for a bit. We all waved and said our goodnights to her as well as thanked her for the food.

"The show's almost starting!" Yugi said as we ate.

"This is really kind of exciting." Anzu said not really being as into it as the rest of us were.

"Of course! This decides the top Duelist in Japan!" Jounouchi said.

"Well, second best." I signed nudging Yugi.

"I made a decision not to fight in a tournament unless I was fighting him." Yugi said. We all knew who he was talking about.

"Kaiba, right?" Anzu said as Yugi nodded.

"Yup! This time fair and square! That's my dream." Yugi said happily.

"I hear Kaiba still is in the hospital." Anzu said making me look up.

"I went to visit him after my appointment. No change." I signed seeing Yugi frown at the floor.

"I still. Even if he came back, I still wouldn't trust him! I'd never trust that creep! Never!" Jounouchi said making me toss a pillow at his head to calm him down. "Hey!" He said while I rolled my eyes sticking my tongue out at him making him laugh. Jounouchi and I have become like brother and sister in the way we fight or just simply interact with each other.

"It's about to start!" Yugi's Grandpa said suddenly. We all jumped then looked to the television.

"For the many Duel Monsters fans across the country, it all comes down to this moment! Out of the 100 Duelists who made it through the regionals, only one can claim the crown! The fin-" I faded off thinking about when I went to visit Kaiba. I knew he had been in the same hospital that I go and get my treatments for from the nurses talking about him. I had asked Yugi what he thought about it and the two of us decided that I would visit when I was there to keep an eye on him and make sure he was okay. When I went and saw him it was almost heart wrenching. He was just there, eyes blank. Mokuba had been in while I was there and we had shared a small conversation.

"Maria?" He had asked when I had walked into the room.

"Oh, hello Mokuba. Should I . . . come back another time?" I signed seeing him shake his head.

"No it's ok. What are you doing here?" He asked. I looked to his brother for a moment then back to him.

"Checking in on how he's doing." My hands were slow reflecting my mood. Kaiba looked awful.

"I miss him, but . . . I know that I'll get the Seto back that I remember when he wakes up." He said hopefully. We didn't move for a few moments.

"How are you holding up?" I signed hearing him chuckle.

"I hate going home. It was ok when I knew he was just at work but knowing he's here. It makes being in that house really lonely." Mokuba started to get tears in his eyes. I reached forward and hugged him. He hugged me back tightly as he cried gently. I knew he'd been holding this in; it was obvious by how painful it sounded. Once he was finished crying I stood grabbing a piece of paper off the table and wrote down my phone number and my address. I handed it to him with a smile.

"My door is always open to you, and I have unlimited texting for my cell phone." The phone had been Anzu's idea. Mokuba smiled and nodded folding the paper up and put it in his pocket but not before he added my contact information into his phone. "I've got to get going, but remember text or come over okay? I've got a spare bedroom and some awesome animated movies." I hugged him one last time before leaving the room, but not before looking back to Kaiba. _You're little brother needs you Seto; get yourself together and be there for him, while you still can. _

"The BUG GUY WON!" Jounouchi yelled making me jump. I blinked looking at the television and low and behold Haga had won the title. He was being handed his trophy by Pegasus.

"That's all folks. Don't forget to get your own limited edition cards at-"

"Insector Haga. Can't say I'm surprised." Mr. Motou said crossing his arms.

"Same, what a great duel!" Yugi said.

"C'mon Yugi! Train me!" Jounouchi said suddenly.

"Okay!" Yugi said with just as much enthusiasm.

"Before that, let's open this package." Grandpa Motou handed Yugi the box as he put it on the floor.

"We can play after this." Yugi said beginning to open the box. "What can it be?" Yugi opened it and we all stared in surprise. There was a strange glove, small stars, and a video tape. I looked to the others having a bad feeling about this box.

"Maybe the explanation is on this tape?" Jounouchi said handing Yugi. "Can you play it Yugi?"

"Yup." He said as we all sat so we could see the TV. I got a bad feeling as Yugi put in the tape. Whatever was on this tape was not going to be good. I just knew it.

**O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O**

**And so it begins again**

**I hope you all found it okay**

**This is the first chapter of the new season!**

**I figured I would do a bit of recap and just in general Miho leaving, what's been happening etc.**

**I'm following the basic timeline of the show and manga, it may vary just a little bit depending. **

**As far as the cellphone thing, with the year cellphones were a new thing however this show and manga have holographic chambers to play card games in, I'm pretty sure they would have cell phones at this point.**

**Please review and let me know how excited you are about the new season**

**Also, let me know some favorite episodes so that I can fit them in, if I don't know I may skip it.**

**Thanks!**


	2. Game 2

**Happy New Year and good tidings to everyone**

**So this chapter is out **

**I'm going to see if I can maybe get another one out before I head back to school, no promises. However this semester should be a lighter load for me so I may be able to actually get these out. Once again, no promises.**

**I hope you all enjoy, I had a bit of a problem having the motivation to pop this one out. I may just be tired. Idk**

**Please review, I love hearing from you guys. **

**Lots of love guys and the second installment is now officially under way!**

**O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O **

The television was snowy for a moment as they tape began to play, but when it did none of us were expecting what was on it.

"Hello! At last we meet Yugi-boy. Nice to meet you!" It was Maximillian Pegasus!

"That's the guy who-" Jounouchi started but couldn't finish.

"The American who was just on TV… the creator of Duel Monsters!" Yugi said in surprise.

"No, no! Don't be so surprised. I just wanted to send a video letter to the _real _champ!" Pegasus said. His response was odd, either he anticipated that Yugi would be surprised while watching it or he has some ego. "I understand you are very skilled at Duel Monsters. After al l you defeated Kaiba-boy. Well done! Good job! Wonderful!" He praised. We all just simply stared at the screen. "Let's get down to business shall we? I want to test your skill right away. I challenge you to duel this video recording of me at Duel Monsters."

"What?!" Everyone said. I glared at the screen, something was very wrong here. Why would Pegasus challenge Yugi this way? It was just a recording.

"How can Yugi play against someone on a video recording?" Grandpa Motou asked.

"Impossible! That's no challenge." Jounouchi huffed.

"He can't know what cards Yugi will play." Anzu chimed in.

"Alright, build your deck in front of the monitor. In five minutes, our duel will begin!" Pegasus said shuffling a deck on screen. I looked over to Yugi seeing an excited look on his face. Clearly he was going to duel no matter what anyone said.

"Okay, I'll take any challenge! Playing against the creator is a dream!" Yugi said sitting down right in front of his TV making his deck. "Okay, my deck is ready." Yugi said. At the five minute mark Pegasus spoke again.

"Are you ready? Let's go!"

"Duel!" The both said as this game began. I sat back just waiting. This was too convenient, too suspicious, too bazar to not be a trap. If I've learned anything over the past year here, it's that Yugi can get himself into very weird and dangerous situations.

"Okay. I'll start with the Koumori Dragon, the Devil Dragon card!" Yugi started off.

"Let me guess. Koumori Dragon, right?" The recording of Pegasus said as he chuckled. My eyes widened. There was no way!

"This can't be-"

"How can he see the cards from across the screen!?" The others said while I focused on Pegasus, I knew something bad was going to happen.

"You see Yugi-boy, I knew that you were playing that card. I even know what's in your hand! You're planning to combine Koumori with the Dragon Knight on your next turn, correct?" Pegasus asked as Yugi gasped. "We can't have that, so I'll remove your Koumori Dragon and put it in my Dragon Capture Jar! Devil Dragon Sealed!" We all watched in fascination and horror as smoke came out from the TV and enveloped Yugi's card. I stood moving over to Yugi putting my hand on his shoulder. We shared a glance and we both thought the same thing, _this was a Shadow Game. _The Puzzle glowed and 'Other Yugi' reached up and grasped my hand nodding to me.

"I'll be the one to take you on!" He said looking back to the screen and Pegasus.

"Awww, come on, Gloomy. Why do you look so angry all the time? It's just a game! Let's both enjoy it!" Pegasus said antagonizing 'Other Yugi'.

"That's just dumb!"

"He named a card at random and happened to get it right!" The others were shouting trying to make sense of this. I looked back at them and shook my head. I forgot that I've been the one to see most of the shadow games. I looked back seeing Grandpa Motou in deep thought. He looked to me and frowned. I turned back to the screen looking at Pegasus. _Why are you challenging him? What do you gain from this Pegasus? _My thought was broken when he spoke.

"Shall we get on with the duel? It's your turn Yugi-boy."

"Okay."

"Take your time, think it over. Remember your friend Kaiba-boy? Even his super rare Blue-Eyes White Dragons are powerless before this card." Pegasus was taunting him now. "This is a new card that I just added. This game never stops evolving! There's always some new card you're got to have." I glared to him then look to 'Other Yugi' out of the corner of my eye. He was not amused.

"Then I'll challenge you with this. Beast card! Silver Fang." 'Other Yugi' played while I waiting to see what Pegasus would do.

"I knew that you would play a beast card and on the next turn you plan to play the mystical moon to turn Silver Fang 'savage' and make him stronger. Beast cards are weak against fire so this card should be enough. The Genie of the Jar." Pegasus finished as we all watched in surprise. How was this happening? I understand that it was a Shadow Game, but the way that this duel was happen made no sense. He knew every play that 'Other Yugi' would make! "The Dragon piper is the only thing that can release the seal of the Dragon Capture Jar. The Genie's flute unleashes the Dragon!" I watched as the two creatures appeared before us and fought. "The Devil Dragon's Hellfire destroys the wolf!" The dragon blew it's fire at 'Other Yugi's' monster and it burst into flames.

"Wow Yugi-boy. I heard you were pretty good, but I know your strategy like the back of my hand! Must be a little jarring to you huh? Get it? Jarring? That's a joke." Pegasus taunts continued and I could see them beginning to get to 'Other Yugi'

"Then I play this, the water monster Great White." He placed the card down as Pegasus made his move.

"Then I'll play Oscillo Hero." I cringed. 'Other Yugi's' water monster wouldn't stand a chance against Pegasus's lightning monster. I frowned wondering what he was going to do. The battle occurred and the Great White was destroyed along with more of 'Other Yugi's' life points. I watched as he glared looking down with nothing but frustration on his features. "I understand your shock, but this is reality. You cannot defeat me." I watched him seeing his eyes widen as he looked down, he was doubting himself. I brushed my fingers against his hand then held it squeezing lightly.

"Yugi don't give up!" Jounouchi and Anzu said from behind us.

"Hear this, Yugi-boy. If you lose this game you must take part in the tournament my company is holding. The event will determine the true champion of Duel Monsters! The Duelist King! To be honest, I'd wanted Kaiba-boy to come as well, but it's too bad I hear he's not going to recover." My eyes widened at that news. _No, Seto will be fine. Mokuba needs him to be fine! Kaiba you can't just abandon your little brother! _"Anyways, of course the one who becomes 'King' will also win a large sum of money and something even more valuable. Wait till you see what it is!" Pegasus finished. I squeezed his hand again as he glanced to me.

"I'm not interested in any event of yours! What if I refuse?" He looked back to the screen.

"No, no, no, you can't refuse because you can't beat me. You can't escape." Pegasus explained as if it were a common fact.

"Well I haven't lost yet!" I smiled. There was that spirit I knew.

"Then let's keep playing. That's the spirit, Yugi-boy. I knew you'd say that."

"Alright." 'Other Yugi' said calmly as he drew a card. He went to play a card but he stopped. I could see him thinking about something when he suddenly placed a card down.

"Grandpa, Anzu, Jounouchi, Maria. You haven't seen the card I played, right?" The three of them answered him with a no as I shook my head. I had been to concentrated on watching his face to look at the card. "I want everyone to tell me what the card is by using their sixth sense."

"What, we can't do that we aren't psychic." Jounouchi said skeptically.

"That doesn't matter. Just say whatever pops into your head." He explained.

"It's just a feeling, but I got a picture of a skull." Grandpa Motou said.

"I'm thinking of a cool warrior." Jounouchi explained making a fist.

"Well, actually I thought of the same thing your Grandpa did. A skeleton." Anzu said looking to everyone. He turned to me as I signed.

"I thought the same, a skeleton." He seemed happy with our answers which confused me for a moment. What was he doing?

"Well it's my turn. I so hate to repeat myself but I know just what card you're playing. An undead. A zombie-type card." Pegasus said with a smirk.

"He said the same thing we did." Anzu yelled. I looked to 'Other Yugi' understanding now what was happening. He was trying to figure out how Pegasus was reading his hand. "I play the Rogue Doll. The Rogue Doll destroys all zombies with her holy light of shining chaos."

"I knew it." I heard 'Other Yugi' begin. "He's inserted frames into the film. He's using subliminal messages. As proof, four out of five of us watching this tape guessed the same picture. He's been using subliminal images to lead us along from the start of this duel. For example, he's insert a certain monster into the film for a few frames. It flashes on the screen for a split second so you don't realize you saw it but you unconsciously remember the monster and choose it on your next turn. On each of my turns, no . . . probably from the time I built my deck he was making me choose the cards he wanted." His logic seemed sound, but something wasn't right to me. This whole duel Pegasus hasn't only been reading his cards but he's also been contributing to the conversation. Granted it's been small portions but his responses are so specific to what we're saying. This is too precise to simply be frames in the film.

"This battle is mine! I win Yugi-boy!"

"Is that so? The card I placed face down was the Dark Magician." I watched Pegasus's face and he didn't seemed fazed by the reveal at all. The magician attacked and destroyed Pegasus's monster. "The Rogue Doll dies."

"I also knew that it was about time for you to see through my trick, Yugi-boy."

"Don't be a sore loser you big cheat." 'Other Yugi' said pointing to the screen.

"Not bad, but I still knew you were going to play the Dark Magician. I just took the hit to keep things fair." _That! That is too specific! He knows everything that's going on! _

"Now comes the _real _duel, Yugi-boy."

"You want it, you got it Pegasus." He said glaring at the screen.

"However, you are fighting a video of me, and there's only so much film left on this tape. So, let's add a time limit to this duel. I'll put this timer in the upper right corner of the screen. When the counter reaches zero, the person whose life points are higher wins the game; fifteen minutes left. Oh, and of course, a penalty game awaits the loser." My eyes widened as my hand found his jacket sleeve. This was going to be bad.

"Okay get on with it!" 'Other Yugi' said wanting to keep going. We had already begun to waste time.

"It's your move." Pegasus said with a smirk on his face.

"The Dark Magician will kill the Dragon!" As the two monsters attacked each other 'Other Yugi's' Dark Magician came out on top dropping Pegasus's life points to 300. "You're nothing Pegasus! Your life is running out." I looked to him seeing that his confidence had come back from that move. He needed to stay focused, from what Pegasus has shown from this tape, he isn't someone who's playing by regular rules.

"My turn." Pegasus said picking up a card and looking at it. However, the look on his face didn't seem fazed at all from what had just happened. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! My next card is the Illusionist Faceless Mage!" The creature appeared on Pegasus's side of the playing field. I could tell from Other Yugi's face that this card was rare, or simply unheard of.

"Wait, but the Dark Magician's attack power is higher. Doesn't that mean he should win?" I heard Anzu ask making me look back to her.

"In Duel Monsters, attack strength isn't all that determines a battle. The monsters and magic-users each player summons all belong to their own type or element, causing weaknesses that can make up for a lack of attack points!" Grandpa Moto explained.

"You mean even if they have higher attack points, the can lose if they aren't in the right 'type'?" Anzu asked again.

"That's what makes strategy so important in this game." He finished looking back to the screen. I turned seeing the battle going on.

"I'm not finished yet! I play the illusion card, Eye of Deception! Now for a combo attack on the Dark Magician." Pegasus said playing his cards.

"Al right, I'm ready!" Other Yugi said as the two creature battled. I watched holding my breath. If he won this battle he would win. My eyes widened as both monsters still remained on the field.

"Neither one is damaged. It's a draw!" Pegasus said sighing loudly. It was now Other Yugi's turn with only five minutes left and he was in the lead. He could just wait it out and win but . . . I looked to him seeing him smirk to me. He was going to continue and keep fighting, he wouldn't take the easy cowardly way out.

"I'll fight you to the end! I'm going to take your life points down to zero!" Other Yugi said drawing a card. "My next card is the Elf Knight! Celtic Guardian Level 6." He played the card and the creature appeared with the others. I looked down seeing that the Guardian had higher attack points then the Illusionist. If Other Yugi attacked he'd win for sure! The battle begun and both monsters were facing each other when the Celtic Guardian was hit. My eyes widened watching it happen. The Dark Magician had attacked the Celtic Guardian! I went back to the previous turn in my head trying to figure out what had happened. I remembered Pegasus had played a spell card; the Dark Magician was now under the control of Pegasus and now Other Yugi was down by 100 points.

"Now, it's the end of my turn and time's almost up! Thirteen seconds left! That was such a good fight! Nice try, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said clapping.

"The game's not over yet! I won't give up!" Other Yugi drew a card. "A demon trumps an illusionist! And my next card is the Summoned Skull! For my final move, the Skull Demon will blow you away!" He said playing the card. I held my breath hoping the attack would make it in time. "Demon Lightning!" The attacked seemed to go in slow motion for me while the clock ticked down. 3 . . . . 2 . . . . 1 . . . 0.

"GAME OVER!" The attack had been so close . . . just a hair away. One more second and he would have one!

"Whew! That was close! If that battle had gone one I would have lost, or would I?" Pegasus said. I glanced over to Other Yugi seeing him clenching his fist. I placed my hand on his shoulder but he only tensed in anger. He had been so close, and now there was a penalty game to play. I never thought he would lose, I've never seen it before. "My dear Yugi-boy, you have even more talent than I expected. I predict we will meet again in Duelist Kingdom. By the standard rules of the trading card games, the winner can take any card of the loser's. But you don't have any card that I want. So, Yugi-boy, I'm going to take something special from you instead! That way you won't try to escape me! Penalty Game!" A bright light came from the TV that made me block my eyes. I was terrified, I've watched penalty games from over a year now from Other Yugi. Now we were on the receiving end of one. When the light faded I locked eyes with Other Yugi. He reached out and placed his hand on my cheek. I placed my hand on his and nodded. I was fine, he was fine. We turned his hand dropping.

"Hey Gramps!" Jounouchi said reaching over but Yugi's Grandpa wasn't moving.

"GRANDPA! WHAT"S WRONG, GRANDPA!" Other Yugi shouted trying to see if he would react.

"Finally, let me show you how I could read your hand! It was the power of the Millennium Eye! Mind Scan! The power to see in to the heart of your opponent!" Pegasus moved his hair out of his left eye and there was a gold eye that looked identical to the eye that was on the Millennium Puzzle. There were more of them, first Bakura now Pegasus. How many of those things were there?! "Now, let's meet in my Kingdom. If you defeat me, your Grandpa will be returned." Pegasus vanished from the screen only for it to shake. Then, Yugi's Grandpa appeared on the screen.

"Grandpa's on the TV!" Other Yugi shouted.

"Yugi . . . . . Yugi" His voice held static, like talking through a bad phone line.

"GRANDPA! GRANDPA NO!" It was Yugi. I watched with tears in my eyes and my small friend cling to the TV trying to figure out how his Grandpa had ended up in the TV. Anzu and Jounouchi seemed to be in shock. I moved forward unable to stop myself and pulled Yugi into a hug. He clung to me and we cried. Pegasus had taken Yugi's Grandpa, and we were going to get him back. Pegasus will pay for this!

"What's going on?! He's breathing, but he's not moving. It's like his body is an empty shell!" Jounouchi said snapping out of it looking at the body as well as Anzu.

"I . . . I have to . . . have to tell mom . . . . and . . .. what . . . what do I do?" Yugi was asking softly as he cried. I looked over to Anzu and motioned to Yugi. She nodded and came over sitting next to him and we shifted so she was holding him as I stood and ran to his room. I moved his top pillow out of the way finding a blanket folded underneath it. Yugi had told me about it during a thunderstorm that had been happening while I had been over one day. This was the only thing of his father that he had. I grabbed the blanket and ran back to the livingroom and kneeled down next to Yugi wrapping the blanket around him. His head shot up to look at me, his eyes were red with tears and he looked so lost and scared. I knew that feeling.

"Hey, we're going to get him back. Don't doubt that for a second. We're going right up to that stupid kingdom and beating that bastard for taking him in the first place. I promise Yugi, we're going to get him back." I signed seeing him nod, the look slowly fading from his face. After a few calming moments nobody knew what to do. Jounouchi and Anzu went home after I had signed that I would stay with Yugi until his mom got back. We sat in the livingroom just sitting there while Yugi talked to the screen.

"Are you sure you feel alright Grandpa, nothing hurts?" Yugi asked as we watched the image on the television.

"I'm right as rain in here, don't worry. As long as the tape is playing I'll be right here." He said looking to his grandson. I rubbed Yugi's back just showing him that I was here for him if he needed me. Yugi got up and went to his room and brought back a handheld video recorder and quickly switched the tape from the TV to the handheld. When he hit play his Grandpa was now on the tiny screen. "Still here." He said. Yugi nodded and the front door opened and a few moments later Mrs. Motou came up the stairs. She saw the body and began screaming until we explained that he had collapsed. She dialed the hospital and the paramedics soon arrived.

"Everything is going to be fine Yugi. We'll get him back." I signed as he and his mother got into the ambulance.

"Thank you Maria." He said softly before they closed the doors and drove away. As I walked home Yugi's lost and scared eyes haunted me. I knew that look, I had that look, and I didn't want to see it on my best friends face again. Pegasus was going to pay.


	3. Game 3

**Welp, this happened**

**I ended up coming home and just went 'I'm going to write the next chapter' so I did**

**Here is a link the the video for Dark Waltz if you want to listen to it, ignore what he says at the end he just talks about the violin just get rid of the spaces**

**www. youtube / watch?v=yRKd-ctUZJ4**

**Let me know if you guys want me to change the side character names to the English ones**

**Example:**

**Haga = Weevil (evil is literally in his name)**

**Ryuzaki = Rex**

**Kujaku = Mai**

**I won't do it to our main hero's since their names have been like that from the beginning. I'm open to whatever. Or I could simply do this in the beginning of each chapter so that way you guys would know.**

** Also, there is a lot of fluff in this chapter because you won't be getting any for a bit, so I figured I would spoil you guys.**

**Please Review, you know I love when you do**

**There may be one more chapter out before I head back to school, who knows this one came out way earlier then I thought it would**

**enjoy**

**O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O**

I woke up turning to the side trying to shield my eyes from the sun. I felt drained and I just wanted to sleep. I peeled my eyes open staring at my alarm clock. I didn't want to get up but if I didn't now, I would be late for school. I stood making my bed then headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day not feeling very good about it.

I locked my door heading to school and thought about what all had happened last night. Would Yugi even come to school today? He had called my cell phone since he didn't have a cell to text and told me that the hospital thinks his body is in a coma and are treating him as such. I had tapped the phone to give him some sort of sound that I had heard and understood. After that Yugi hung up. I walked past the gates and into the building heading up to the classroom. Opening the door I saw the others huddled around Yugi as he stared at the video recorder that the tape was in with his Grandpa. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders in a hug for a greeting then stood signing hello to the others. Yugi hadn't moved and I frowned. This was not good.

"Good morning, everyone!" Ryou said cheerfully as he walked in smiling to all of us.

"Hey."

"Good morning Bakura." He stood looking at all of us before looking to Yugi.

"What's wrong? What's the matter, you guys?" He asked coming closer. "Hmmm, what are you watching Yugi?"

"Ho ho! You're Bakura, aren't you? Good morning." Grandpa Motou said from the screen.

"Wh . . . . he-he spoke to me?! Is this a video phone?" Bakura asked trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Nope. My Grandpa is stuck in this video." Yugi explained. Bakura gasped as Jounouchi continued.

"It's hard to believe, but Yugi lost a game of Duel Monsters to this weird guy's video recording! The guy had a Millennium Item and he used its apparent power to put Yugi's Grandpa's soul in the tape!" Jounouchi explained for Yugi.

"What should I do? What if Grandpa can't return to normal?" Yugi muttered to himself.

"Here here! I'm doing fine in here! Don't you get all depressed over me!" Yugi's Grandpa said happily smiling to his grandson. Even at this point he was still looking out for Yugi.

"Gramps is right! Brooding over it won't solve anything, right Yugi?" Jounouchi said loudly.

"You're right. I guess I'm okay but, the _other _me isn't." Yugi said as my eyes widened.

"You've learned how to talk with your alter ego?" Anzu asked as we all looked at him.

"It's not like I can talk to him with words. But, if I close my eyes I can sense what he's feeling." Yugi explained.

"So he's depressed?" I signed seeing Yugi nod.

"Yup, I think he feels bad about losing to Pegasus."

"HEY IN THERE! CHEER UP, OTHER YUGI!" Jounouchi yelled into a rolled up magazine at the Puzzle. "Anyways. It looks like if we want to save Gramps, we just have to get back at Pegasus!"

"Yup! That's what he said 'Come to my Kingdom.' He said that's where they're going to crown the King of Duel Monsters. The Duelist Kingdom." Yugi said.

"The problem is we have no idea where that is!" Grandpa Motou said crossing his arms on the screen.

"You said that Pegasus has a Millennium Item , didn't you?" Ryou asked.

"He not only has one, he dug out his own eye to put it in." Jounouchi said pointing to his own eye.

"Maybe if you go to this Kingdom you'll find out the secret of the Millennium Items." Ryou said looking to Yugi. "Like my Millennium Ring." Ryou said pulling it out of his bag.

"AGH! You still have that thing?!" Everyone shouted as we all moved back.

"It's okay! As long as I don't wear it, it's just a piece of jewelry." He said. I glared at the item not believing that for a second. The spirit inside that item wasn't like 'Other Yugi', he was pure evil and I doubted he would stop at anything to have another go at the Puzzle. "My father bought it from an antique shop in Egypt. But, as you know, there's another personality inside of it just like Yugi's Puzzle. I want to find out all of the secrets of the Millennium Items! Like, who made them? How do they work? What are they for? I bet Pegasus knows the answer." He finished. Suddenly Yugi stood up and picked up the video recorder.

"What's up Yugi?" Anzu asked as he turned back to us.

"I'm sorry, I'd like to be alone for awhile. Ahh, not me I mean the 'Other' me." He said then headed for the door.

"What a mess." Jounouchi huffed as Sensei walked in and everyone took their seats. While everyone was busy I snuck out and headed to where I knew 'Other Yugi' would be going.

I reached the roof and silently opened the door making sure not to make a sound not to startle him. I watched as 'Other Yugi' stood by the fence just glaring out at the city. A breeze blew past us and it must have snapped him out of it. He suddenly grabbed the chain fence angrily.

"Pegasus." There was a pause and I went to take a step forward. "PEGASUS!" He shouted out his rage. I froze watching him as he leaned his forehead against the fence closing his eyes. He was making himself worry even more. After a moment or two he stood again punching the fence. He stood still for a while and that was when I moved. I walked up to him and slowly placed one hand on his arm and the other on his back. He jumped, startled, then saw me. He smiled faintly but it didn't reach his eyes. I turned him towards me and pulled him into a hug. His arms wrapped around me tightly as he rested his head on my shoulder. "It's my fault. I won't run. I have to get him back. Yugi needs him. I can't." I ran my fingers through his hair trying to calm him and he soon stopped talking. I pulled back but his grip on me didn't change. He looked at me as I began to sign to him.

"You need to stop. Pegasus used tricks to beat you, nothing more. Time ran out, this is not your fault so stop blaming yourself. We will get him back for Yugi, you need to believe in that. We will get him back." When I was finished I placed my hands on either side of his face and he smiled resting his forehead against mine.

"How do you do it?" He asked quietly to himself. He tilted his head as his lips brushed against my forehead slowly. When he stopped I reached forward and kissed his forehead, the same way he does to me.

"Now cheer up. Yugi and I need to get back to class." I signed seeing him nod and smirk.

"Trying to get rid of me Princess?" He asked.

"Never." I signed. His smirk turned into a smile that reached his eyes before a bright light shone and I pulled away having Yugi standing in front of me.

"Thanks Maria. He seems to be doing better now. What did you say?" Yugi asked but I just shook my head and gave him a wink.

"Let's go to class, sensei's going to be mad." I signed as we both headed back down the steps.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

"I'm home!" Yugi said as we both walked up to the game shop.

"Uhh, welcome home?" Grandpa Motou said from the recorder attached to Yugi's bag.

"You scared me a little. I'm used to hearing you inside the shop." Yugi said looking down.

"Me too, but I'm getting used to being in here." He said as Yugi and I shared a look. He turned back to unlock the door when he picked up an envelope that was stuck in the door.

"There's something on the door. I wonder what it is?" He said opening it up. "There are Duel Monsters cards!" He said pulling them out but stopped looking around. "Did someone accidentally leave them here?" Yugi turned back to look at the cards as I kept looking around. I spotted a man behind a phone booth and when he noticed I saw him he quickly hid behind it more trying to look innocent. _Well, that's the one that left this here._

"Yugi, show me the cards!"

"It says, Voyage to the Kingdom. It shows a time and place! It's finally come! The invitation! The ticket to Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi said showing his Grandpa.

"Yugi, Maria!" Jounouchi's voice yelled as we turned seeing the gang running up to us.

"Jounouchi, guys! Why did you come all the way here?" Yugi asked them confused.

"Brace yourself. Look at what I just got. A video tape addressed to me. The mailman delivered it today." He said as our eyes widened. "Anyways, can I watch it here, Yugi? I don't have a video player." We all entered the shop and headed upstairs to Yugi's room. We all made ourselves comfortable on the floor.

"So these are the invitation cards!" Jounouchi said as Yugi put them all on the floor.

"Yup, they were delivered today. Five cards in all!" Yugi said as we all looked at them. "Each tells you a little about Duelist Kingdom. This one tells you when and where to board the boat that does to Duelist Kingdom. One week from now, at 9:30 pm at the Domino Pier! Next is the Duelist Kingdom card. There's an island drawn on it. So, the tournament is probably on a small island called Duelist Kingdom. I picked up the Duelist's Glove card and looked at it pointing to the box that Yugi had gotten yesterday.

"That's the glove you got before right?" Anzu asked looking at the card as well.

"Uh-huh. These star chips must be proof of your status as a duelist and you bet these chips on each of your duels." He said putting the items back in the box. "Then the last two cards. Honor of the King's right is probably the prize money the winner will receive. However, there's nothing written on the other card. It's probably some secret prize that only the one who becomes 'King' can get! That's it for the cards."

"Let's go ahead and watch Jounouchi's video." Honda said looking to his best friend.

"Aww right!" Jounouchi said as we all headed for the living room. "Here goes." He said putting it in. There was static on the television and then a girl came on screen. It was Shizuka!

"Hi there Katsuya! How's my big brother doing?" She said waving to the camera. I blinked. Why was she making a video? I hadn't been in her wing since the Bakura incident. "It's been a bit. Hee hee, I'm sending you a video so you won't forget what I look like! But I wish I could see your face too!" She said making me look to Jounouchi who looked terrified. "Actually, I really wanted to see you in person instead of sending a video, but you're so busy and we live so far apart. I wanted to see your face one last time." She said.

"Shizuka!" Jounouchi said. I reached over and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Katsuya, please don't tell Dad about this video. Tell Maria I say hello. Well, that's all . . . take care of yourself. Good-bye, Big Brother." She said then the video went out. Everyone was looking at Jounouchi. What had happened to Shizuka since the last time we had all seen her. He had simply told us that she gets sick easily, but I knew that Shizuka had problems with her eyesight, which was why we were normally in the same wing. Was she?

"The Doctors said that she would go bling eventually." Jounouchi said suddenly. "When she said 'one last time' that means the doc's . . . told her that time has finally come."

"But that's awful!" Yugi said.

"Isn't there anything they can do?!" Anzu said as I squeezed his arm. "They say with the most advanced treatments out there, she has about a 50% chance of a successful operation to cure her, but where can I get that kind of money?" Jounouchi said. I knew this feeling, the older sibling who couldn't do anything to save their younger one. "I'm her Big Brother! But I can't do anything to help her! Not one thing! I'M USELESS!" Jounouchi shouted tears forming in his eyes.

"Jounouchi." The others said quietly as I rubbed his back. There was a flash of light and I blinked seeing Other Yugi on his other side holding out a card.

"Cheer up, Jounouchi. Don't give up! Remember this card? These star chips are proof that you're a Duelist. Take one of mine." He said holding them out.

"Yugi . . . are you serious?!" Jounouchi said in disbelief.

"Shall we go win those prizes?" He asked smiling to him. "Let's go to the Duelist Kingdom together, as Duelists! To save Grandpa and your sister!" he said. Jounouchi nodded and my eyes locked with 'Other Yugi' and I nodded to him while smiling. There was a flash and then Yugi was back.

"We've got one week left! So we'll train in Duel Monster strategies until then!" Yugi said.

"You bet!" Jounouchi shouted.

"We'll help you out too!" Anzu, Honda, and Ryou said. I smiled and nodded to the two standing and walking over to my bag pulling out my Duel Monsters book. I was planning on giving it to Yugi anyway when I went shopping with Sophia last weekend, I just never got around to it. I turned smiling holding up the book.

"Oh yeah! That's great Maria!" Jounouchi said pulling me down the rubbed his fist into my head. I silently laughed and shoved him so he would let go. As the boys got involved with the book I pulled out my braid and began to redo it watching my friends. Yeah, we could do this.

O.O.O.O.O.O

The week had gone by so quickly. Everyone would go over to Yugi's house and we would all play the boys at Duel Monsters. I was mostly tasked to Jounouchi to teach him how to handle opponents with different strategies instead of just his own, which is what the others would do with Yugi. Yugi would duel the others to strengthen his own strategy with his cards. Jounouchi had grown so much in the last week and I was proud of both of them for how well they were doing. They were going to be great. When the day came we all met up at Yugi's with our stuff and headed for the Pier.

"It's so cold." Anzu said shaking slightly.

"Uhh it's awfully quiet." Honda said.

"Is there really supposed to be a ship out here?" Jounouchi asked looking around.

"The date on the ticket says tonight. There's no mistake." Yugi said looking at the card again. We turned a corner and gasped seeing the ship and crowd in front of us.

"There is it!"

"Wow!"

"Can you see all of the people?!" Everyone shouted as we watched.

"They've got cards! "

"They were invited to Pegasus's Kingdom too! They're duelists, like us." _I think you mean rivals Yugi. _I thought with a smile on my face.

"Look. It's the guy with the insects who won the last tournament and the runner up!" Jounouchi said.

"Tough crowd." I signed seeing Yugi nod.

"Attention Duelists! Industrial Illusions welcomes you to this event!" A man announced from the deck of the ship. "We have researched your tournament records and even unofficial duels and hand-picked the best duelists Japan has to offer! A light shines above each of your heads, where any one of you could reach it! Now is the time, Duelists! Come! Cross the seas! Reach for that light, to Duelist Kingdom!" The crowd erupted in cheers as I cringed a bit. That had been incredibly cheesy.

"Ahahahah, it's almost like a pep rally for little kids! But I guess it is mostly kids here." I female voice said from next to us. "Haven't seen any real competition yet…." I looked over seeing a blond woman in leather purple clothes.

"Is she a duelist too?!" The boys asked as they blushed and stared at her. I rolled my eyes and looked to Ryou who just shrugged. We shared a smile as we chuckled a bit seeing the others.

"Hey, you're Yugi right?" She said leaning down to look him in the eye. "What a surprise! How could a little boy like you beat Kaiba? You're famous you know."

"Er…Thanks." He said blushing.

"Who is this woman?!" I heard Anzu mutter angrily. I turned to look at her. Was that jealously I heard? Was she starting to care for Yugi the way he cared about her?

"Excuse me, Ma'am! I'm the best friend of the famous Yugi! My name is Hon-"

"I'm Joun-"

"Whatever." She said brushing them off. "In a duel, it doesn't matter if my opponent is a little kid, because any person who stands in my way will be crushed." She said jogging away. "The names Kujaku. See you later boys!"

"What a woman." Honda said.

"The perfume of a beautiful lady." The boys said making me laugh at them.

"Idiots! Morons!" Anzu yelled.

"Okay! Let's get on board!" Yugi said as we all headed onto the ship. We stood at the back of the ship looking out at the sea. The horn blew and we were now on our way to Duelist Kingdom. I knew that Yugi and Jounouchi would win. They would win, get Grandpa back, and Jounouchi would save Shizuka's eye sight.

"Attention everyone! I will show you to your rooms. Please follow me!" The man from before said as the crowd began to move.

"Excuse me? Yugi? You're Yugi Motou, aren't you?" A male voice said. We looked over and I saw Haga and Ryuzaki, the bug duelist and the dino duelist.

"Congratulations for winning the tournament, Haga." Yugi said politely as always.

"It was nothing." Haga said smirking while fixing his glasses.

"It was only because I went easy on him!" Ryuzaki said.

"Y'know we'll probably duel when we get to this Kingdom Yugi. I'm looking forward to it. To tell you the truth, the tournament didn't really mean much to me. I can't really call myself champion if I don't defeat you and Kaiba first." Haga said looking to Yugi with a smirk I didn't like. I did not trust this kid. "So Yugi, have you heard? Apparently, there will be new rules introduced to Duel Monsters at this tournament in Duelist Kingdom."

"Really? New Rules?" Yugi asked.

"I'm not too sure on the details, but . . . I've heard that there will be more strategy than before." Haga said.

"Aww, who cares about the so-called 'new rules.' It has and always will be kill or be killed." Ryuzaki said smirking to us.

"You gotta be kidding me! Whaddya mean we sleep in this room?! There are no beds!" Jounouchi's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"We don't ever get beds?!"

"How cheap! A boat like this has to have plenty of nice rooms!" The boys shouted while I just watched them.

"Only the finalists from the previous tournament have been given private rooms." A man said in a suit.

"Sucks to be you! We get the luxury rooms. Although," Ryuzaki looked at me and winked. "You're welcome to join me sweetheart."

"You're not my type." I signed seeing him look at me oddly.

"What? You can't talk? How lame." He said walking away. I glared at him signing a few curses at him while Jounouchi busted out laughing at them.

"Yugi, in some ways, this room might be better than our private rooms, y'know? The sponsors were probably aware of it when they assigned our rooms." Haga started pointing to the large group of people. "See for yourself." We both turned seeing the group.

"Everyone is trading cards!" Yugi said and I nodded, now understanding Haga's point.

"Right. Since everyone's together here, you can trade cards and improve your deck, and maybe sneak a peek at what kind of cards your enemies have." Haga said then turned to follow Ryuzaki. "Your friend seems to fit right in." I saw Jounouchi already trading cards with other duelists. I smiled to him seeing that he was having fun.

"Whatever! If your deck isn't perfect now, there's no hope for you winning the tournament." Ryuzaki said from down the hall.

"Well, seeya later." Haga said leaving finally.

"You're kidding right?! You're putting a lady like me in this… this dorm without even a shower?!" The blond from early was shouting.

"It's her!"

"Man she's loud." Honda said as I high-fived him.

"Those are the rules miss." The same guy who talked to Jounouchi said.

"I want to talk to who's in charge! Now!" She shouted loudly making everyone look at her.

"Hey, chill out girlie. If you keep whining, they'll throw you off the ship." Ryuzaki said still lurking in the hall. "Of course, you can always crash in my room!." He said trying again.

"No way? How sweet! Let's go back to your room." She said clinging to him. I rolled my eyes. _It's not nice to judge Maria, but she makes it so hard. _I walked over with the group to a corner of the room.

"Well, let's just hand out here. I'll be like a sleep-over." Yugi said as we all nodded.

"Awright, Yugi! Since we can't sleep. Let's continue my training in Duel Monsters!" Jounouchi said.

"Okay!" The boys pulled out their decks and started to duel. After watching them for a bit I felt a coughing fit coming on so I stood quickly and grabbed my bag heading out to the deck of the ship.

"Maria-chan? Where are you going?" Yugi asked as I turned.

"Getting some air, keep playing." I signed then waved to them and made my way outside. I coughed for a while then took my medicine feeling it burn again. I should have gone to the hospital to get more dead tissue removed before leaving, there was going to be build up by the time we get back. I sighed and breathed in the sea air. It felt nice and was cool. I sat on the railing of the ship and pulled out my violin that I brought with me. I figured it would be something to do at night while Yugi and Jounouchi weren't dueling. I tuned my strings and tightened my bow and started to play. I closed my eyes and started playing _Dark Waltz._ I played as the sea breeze blew my hair and the waves crashed gently against the boat. I watched the sky and let the music just fill the quiet air. Nobody was out here since they were all inside to either trade cards or try and sleep. I let the last note hang in the air then lifted the bow stopping the sound.

"You brought your violin?" Anzu asked suddenly making me jump and turn my body to see them all standing behind me smiling. I blushed and turned back quickly putting it away in my bag nodding.

"It was pretty." Yugi said stretching his arms over his head looking out at the sea. "The ocean air is so refreshing." He changed the subject for me.

"Yugi, some things just keep bothering me." Grandpa said from the recorder that Yugi brought with him. "Why is Pegasus gathering all of these Duelists here? There's something strange about this event. It's just a feeling, but."

"I think so too. But we have to go." Yugi answered before his Grandpa could finish. "I'll defeat Pegasus and put your soul back in your body! So don't worry, Grandpa."

"Someone's here." Grandpa said as we turned. Haga stood in the shadows.

"Yugi." He said walking forward.

"Hi Haga." Yugi greeted.

"Just sitting in my room gets boring, you know? I came out to feel the breeze. Did you trade for any good cards in the common room?" Haga asked him.

"Nah. I'm going to fight with the cards I originally picked." Yugi answered.

"I thought so. The cards you used to beat Kaiba. You have Exodia in your deck, don't you?" Haga asked making me glare. There, that was it.

"You know all of my moves already, huh?" Yugi said avoiding the question as best as he could.

"Hey Yugi, can I see them? I mean, they're so rare, I've never seen them myself?" Haga asked boldly. I reached out gripping Yugi's shoulder.

"Yugi don't, I don't trust him. Please." I signed but he just tapped my hand then turned to Haga.

"I guess if you already know, it's okay." He said handing Haga the cards. My eyes widened.

"Well, well . . . so this is Exodia, the Forbidden one! I've thought for so long over a strategy to defeat these five cards, but I couldn't come up with anything. But, I just now figure it out."

"Really?"

"This is my strategy!" Haga shouted throwing the cards over the side of the ship into the water.

"NO!" Yugi shouted. Suddenly Jounouchi was jumping into the ocean to get the cards. "Jounouchi!"

"Just wait, I'll get 'em!" Jounouchi yelled on his way down. He hit the water but I wasn't watching. I had jumped off the railing and ran to the box on the wall a few feet away to pull out the rescue equipment. _THAT IDIOT! THEY'RE JUST CARDS!_

"Jounouchi! Are you okay!" I ran back holding the folding ladder in my arms. I tossed it over the side of the boat attaching it to the railing. I heard Haga laughing then heard Other Yugi's voice.

"That's it! When we get to the Kingdom, I'm taking you out first!" He shouted in anger. I noticed Jounouchi hadn't seen the ladder. I was panicking and grabbed Other Yugi's jaw making him look away from Haga and forcing him to look at me not knowing if it hurt him or not.

"NOT NOW! NOT IMPORTANT! JOUNOUCHI! NOW!" My hands were so frantic that I couldn't even sign a complete sentence. I could care less about a duel right now, Jounouchi could die! I glared at him furiously and he broke eye contact cringing at my look.

"JOUNOUCHI GRAB THE LADDER!" He shouted and Jounouchi shouted back.

"I still haven't!"

"GRAB IT NOW JOUNOUCHI! OTHERWISE MARIA'S GOING TO THROW ME IN AFTER YOU!" He shouted making me smack his shoulder. He rubbed it but smiled faintly to me. I knew he was trying to make me smile and any other time I would have, but right now Jounouchi was in serious trouble. Jounouchi swam to the ladder and began climbing as we all pulled him up. Jounouchi was breathing heavily and only held up two cards.

"I could only find two." He panted out as Anzu brought him a towel. He stood up shakily and I walked over and punched him in the arm. "OW! Maria what was that for?!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! NO CARD IS WORTH RISKING YOUR LIFE OVER! IT'S A PIECE OF PAPER, YOUR LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT. DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU COULD HAVE DIED?! WHAT WOULD WE DO? WHAT WOULD SHIZUKA DO!? YOU HAVE A LITTLE SISTER THAT NEEDS YOU! YOU DO NOT GO AND JUST JUMP OFF A BOAT AND ALMOST KILL YOURSELF!" I signed at him tears coming to my eyes. Jounouchi could have died. He could have drowned, or been eaten by a shark, or . . . My train of thought was stopped when he pulled me into a hug.

"Okay, okay . . . . it's okay. I'm still kicking. Everything is okay." I hadn't noticed that I had been sobbing until I realized I couldn't breathe. I hugged him tightly. They were precious to me, they were my family now. I am not losing any of them for something stupid like just jumping off a damn ship.

After I calmed down we broke apart and I hit him again. "Never again." I signed and he nodded.

"Yes ma'am." He said as the other began to fuss and yell at him. I turned seeing Other Yugi staring at me with wide eyes. I walked over to him and took a deep breath and reached up. He flinched thinking I was going to hit him and I frowned feeling guilty. I gently placed my fingers on his jaw continuing to frown, the signed quickly.

"I'm sorry if that hurt, I was scared, and I couldn't yell to get his attention, and I . . ." I faded off looking down rubbing my thumbs against his jaw where I had grabbed him. His finger rested under my chin and made me look up at him.

"It's okay. I understand." He said softly. I hugged him quickly as he laughed and held me then I began to sign.

"Make that worthless bug pay." I signed feeling rage enter me.

"It's a promise, my princess." He said. I pulled away and we walked back over to the others making sure Jounouchi was okay. He dried off and we all stood looking as the sun came up, and with it the island came into view.

We had arrived. I blinked when I felt something touch my hand and I noticed that Other Yugi had grabbed my hand as we got near the island but when I looked at his face he was staring at the island, a look of worry on his face. I squeezed his hand to reassure him. I took my pointer finger and gently spelled out 'I believe in you' on his palm. He squeezed my hand back and looked to me. We stared at each other for a moment and I smiled to him, reassuring him that I would be here for him. I would be the support, we all were. Anzu, Honda, Ryou, and me; we were rooting for them.


End file.
